When Iowa star Luka Garza announced this summer that he was returning for his senior season, he made his ambitions clear. "I'm very excited to be back with my teammates and look towards winning a national championship, winning a Big Ten championship," Garza said. "We have big goals in mind, and once we get back on the court, we're going to start getting to work and hopefully we can make some history this year."
But after an 95-80 loss to Oregon on Monday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, it appears Garza's historic college career is over. The school's all-time leading scorer did everything in his power to push his team toward the goals he outlined when he decided to return, but in the end, the Hawkeyes could not overcome their own lackluster defense.
The No. 7 seed Ducks shot 55.9% and put up 56 points in the first half alone. Even a vintage 36-point effort from Garza could not rescue Iowa as the Hawkeyes flamed out on the first weekend of the Big Dance once again.
Though Iowa enjoyed its best Big Ten winning percentage since 1987 with Garza repeating as the Big Ten Player and as a first-team AP All-American, this was supposed to be the one that pushed the program to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 and potentially even further. But defense was always a concern for this squad after it ranked just 97th nationally in efficiency at KenPom last season.
Perhaps the Hawkeyes improved slightly in that regard this season -- they ranked 60th in the same metric entering Monday's game -- but Oregon exposed Iowa's limitations and brought an end to the career of an all-time college basketball great.
Nothing about the Hawkeyes' early exit will diminish Garza's collegiate accomplishments, but Monday's loss may leave the program in need of a recalibration as it moves forward without Garza.
Iowa's loss also leaves the Big Ten reeling. Of the league's nine teams that made the NCAA Tournament, only No. 1 seed Michigan and No. 10 seed Maryland remain, and one will need to win Monday if the conference is going to have a representative in the Sweet 16. For a league that appeared to establish itself as the nation's best throughout the regular season, the postseason struggles are surprising.
On the flip side, Oregon's progression to the Sweet 16 is the latest feather in the cap for the Pac-12. The Ducks and in-state rival Oregon State have each advanced, and the league's other three NCAA Tournament teams all have a chance to continue progressing during the rest of Monday's second round action.
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March 23, 2021 at 01:31AM
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Iowa vs. Oregon score: Luka Garza's historic career ends as Ducks throttle Hawkeyes to advance to Sweet 16 - CBS Sports
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